Wednesday, 4 March 2015

Canadian-Grown Cannabis For Export

A few days ago, I took part in one of those bulk petition-like emails, this one asking the Federal Government to stop subsidizing the Fossil Fuel industry. The letter is also cc'd to all of the members of parliament.

One stone; many birds.

The leader of the Green Party Elizabeth May sent me a long reply and what d'ya know ... we are like minds :)

This is my reply to her and to all others who are tired of taking part in this race to the end of the fossil fuel supply. It's a race y'know, with a very distinct finish line. There is only so much Oil left under there. And I know we all hope that Santa left lots of inky prezzies under the ice, but we really don't know for sure.

We're too dependent on oil and fossil fuels. We can all agree on that right? The current need for Oil on this planet is huge and ever growing. A National Geographic program I recently viewed spoke of the fight going on for control of the magnitude of natural resources in the Amazon Rain Forest. They said that at the current rate of need on our planet, the oil from the Amazon would only last eight days.

An irreplaceable ecosystem lost ... for eight measly days.

Further to my desire for less subsidization of Fossil Fuels, I throw out to you another idea that is going around the tree-hugging circles of Canada. And when I look at this from the macro view I can't help but think of the saying: "work smart .... not hard!".

Why are we digging when we can grow?

Why are we extracting when we can produce?

Canada is already the 5th biggest agricultural exporter in the world. From grapes to ganga, from peaches to potatoes ... from corn to canola ... and from wheat to rapeseed, we know how to grow. We could be growing Cannabis and exporting it worldwide.

As country after country, state after american state legalizes the use of this safe plant, the need for well grown cannabis is growing exponentially. With each seizure stopped, each cancer cell killed ... as each bout of nausea and each sleepless night of insomnia stilled ... the demand part of this "supply and demand theory" is reproducing faster than a bad virus. If we wait too long, the chance will be gone Canada.

So ... we agree we should grow and export Cannabis. Cool. Now let's look at whats wrong with how we grow some crops.

"What's wrong with how we grow?".

Well, in my opinion it's like starting a tray of Marigold seeds in a dark corner with a lamp, when the windowsills are empty.

Growing up in rural Ontario with gardening genius parents, there were a few sentiments that my Daddy repeated over and over. The first was 'If it's yellow let it mellow' and the second was 'When you leave a room, turn off the light!'. My Daddy ... an environmentalist before environmentalism was cool.

So why are we leaving the lights on? Better yet, why are we even turning them on in the first place? The Sun shines for a reason. To put it plainly -- to give energy to the plant world. And all the while mankind is patting itself on the back for energy-efficient light bulbs.

Enter: the Greenhouse.

So let's talk Solar. I love the Sun, but we really need to work on that technology. For instance, the rural Ontario landscape where I grew up now looks like a scene from the movie "Transcendence". Fields where I rode my horse, have now been transformed by rows and rows of Solar panels as far as the eye can see. These are panels that are not even hooked up, nor will they be anytime soon. Their existence was funded by our Government. Down the road there's another field and rumor is it won't be hooked up for another ten years. wth?

So I ask you this: Why couldn't those rows and rows of Solar Panels have been rows and rows of Greenhouses?

Which leads me to ask you this: Why can't we grow and export Cannabis in greenhouses that are powered by Solar? I'm talking mechanical window panes that could likely be programmed with heat and weather sensors that could be controlled by a smartphone app!

We're talking 'high-efficiency growing'! We're talking taking full advantage of our diverse Canadian weather with sustainable technologies. And of course there will be jobs. The seed won't plant itself! The growth coaxed, the preening done. It's all a human thing. Plants and humans feed off of one another. I won't even get into the social benefits of something like this. I mean, the fossil fuel industry is in such a precarious spot right now that it's a topic I all but avoid with some friends who's hubbies work therein. This is how they pay their bills ... and I want it stopped ... effectively taking away their livelihood. It's hard to move on from a conversation like that. So I say let's have a new conversation.

They can be the first ones hired on :)

Shane Koyczan knows what I'm talkin' about ... watch this video with a tissue in hand :)